Separation Causes Pain For Family Sea, Lack Of Money Keep Members Apart

Sentinel Santa

November 27, 1990|By Kevin Spear Of The Sentinel Staff

TAVARES — Simon Francoire has three children in Tavares, two in Haiti, and one weeks from birth.

On Christmas morning, the three children here will unwrap presents bought at yard sales. The two sons in Haiti may or may not eat, and Francoire can only wonder what life will bring for his unborn child.

Francoire, 35, grew up in Haiti speaking French, Spanish and Creole but hasn't done so well with English in Florida. As a result, he hasn't been able to escape the menial jobs often held by illiterates.

His poverty wages have never stretched to cover new Christmas presents for his son, 3, and daughters, 2 and 7, in Tavares. And he has been unable to bridge an ocean and immigration laws that keep his eldest sons, 9 and 11, in Haiti.

''Christmas is the darkest time for Simon,'' said his wife, Judy. ''His mind is with his children in Haiti and he worries they are having a hard time.''

Francoire expected better after surviving his raft trip to America eight years ago. His first wife and two sons were to follow after he got work and a place to live.

But a year later, his wife became sick and died. Francoire's sons were taken in by his parents while he continued trying to get permission for them to join him in the United States.

Meanwhile, Francoire married Judy, an American, and began a new family. She made him quit work at muck farms where at best he earned 14 cents for each milelong row of corn he picked.

''That was slavery,'' she said. ''I couldn't believe how hard they made people work.''

He found a job cleaning cars at a dealership near Eustis and was surprised to learn they wouldn't let him work seven days a week.

Later, he got work at an expensive restaurant as a busboy. The tips are good sometimes and the restaurant provides a uniform.

The drawbacks have been the long walk to work, nine miles down a rural highway, and knowing that he will never get a waiter's job because he can't read a menu.

Judy, 25, has worked as a nurse's aide, but has had to stay home and off her feet because she tends to give birth early. They get food stamps and government help with rent, but without her salary there is only enough money for essentials.

''Sometimes I don't know where I'm going to get the next pair of shoes,'' she said.

Even with Judy's help, Francoire has met delay after delay in trying to meet the requirements for his sons to immigrate.

Last year, his parents died and those delays began to have a price. His sons were taken in by friends who can't afford them. They call Francoire frequently, asking him to take his sons.

Each spring, Francoire spends his income tax refund to buy used clothing and food to take to Haiti. He spends a week with his sons and comes back without a penny.

He was robbed one year. Without money and his U.S. labor permit, he was unable to return for three months. Only the intervention of a Florida congressman opened the door.

''He came back so skinny I didn't know him,'' his wife said. ''He starved the whole time.''

Among the family photos in the living room are two black-and-white snapshots. Each shows a crew-cut youngster, neither is smiling.